Erikson’s Stage Theory
Each of the situations below represents a negative outcome of one of Erik Erikson's Psychosocial Stages. Choose two of the following vignettes, and in a paragraph for each, answer the following questions:
1. Determine which psychosocial stage resulted in each set of behaviors described below.
2. Speculate as to what circumstances may have resulted in the negative outcome.
3. Describe what behaviors might lead to a positive outcome of that same stage.
How to earn all points
- Make sure that you answer every part of the assignment.
- Make sure you reference the stage, the conflict, and what
- Avoid grammatical and spelling errors.
- Make sure that your paper is double-spaced, typed, and stapled.
- Make sure that your paper has one inch margins and you are using 12 point font.
1) Jason is a 14-year-old seventh grader who moved to Clifton this summer from another state. He has recently been referred to the school psychologist because of concerns about both his academic performance and school behavior. A review of his school records shows that Jason repeated kindergarten and third grade. His elementary school grades were primarily S's ("Satisfactory") and N's ("Needs Improvement"). His current teachers state that they are unsure of Jason's academic skills because he typically does not turn in assignments and appears to "clown around" and not take exams and assignments seriously.
2) Brenda is a 5th-year undergraduate student at William Paterson. She began her post-secondary education as a nursing major, but decided she wanted to pursue a career in special education, so she transferred to Rutgers. After a year at RU, she discovered that special education was not for her, so she transferred back to WPU where she registered for courses in the Social Science-Secondary Education sequence. She is now a Liberal Studies major, and will graduate in May. Brenda has thought about applying to law schools, but recently decided she really didn't want a career in law. At this point she has no firm career plans. Rather, she had decided to work as a waitress for at least a year, and after that, who knows?
3) Carrie is a 36-year-old woman who is currently being seen for counseling at the community mental health center. Her second marriage recently ended in divorce, and she has sought counseling so that she might "find" herself and get her life "back on track." Carrie married for the first time at age 18, but she and her husband grew increasingly apart and found they had little in common, other than their two children! She remarried shortly after her first divorce as she felt "empty" being alone and thought both she and her children needed a man in the house, but that marriage also proved unsuccessful. She is now thinking of attending college, and is trying to figure out what to do "with the rest of her life."
4) Eric's kindergarten teacher is very concerned about him. He is hesitant to get involved in group activities, and though he seems bright verbally, he tells his teacher he "can't" do the work and will not start assignments unless the teacher is there to help and reassure him. Additionally, he always waits for the teacher to help him put on his coat and boots, even though she has encouraged him to do so himself.
5) Joe is a college junior with a mediocre academic record. Though he is very intelligent, his teachers often describe him as lacking in initiative and creativity. He does well in lecture classes, but is hesitant to participate in group discussions and has difficulty coming up with ideas for independent learning projects. He is hesitant to take chances and try new things, though he often would like to try them.
6) John is a 36-year-old divorced man whose ex-wife has custody of their three children. Though John has visitation rights, he rarely exercises them. Even when the family lived together, he was only minimally involved with his children as he was always "too busy." His job often required long hours and extended travel, but even when he was not working, John found little time for his kids. However, he always seemed to find the time for golf outings, poker night, and hunting and fishing trips with his buddies.